


wasn't ready for her kind

by Callico



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, I can’t write lyrics so these are just quotes from the show that rhyme?, Musicians, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-29 23:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17212934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callico/pseuds/Callico
Summary: Told mostly through news coverage, this Modern AU follows the two former members of a recently broken up musical duo as they try to forge their independent careers and figure out life without each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this was SO MUCH FUN and I hope you can enjoy reading it. Messing around with narrative forms is always a bit of a trip, and this one took me a year in total to finish. More notes at the end for the inspiration of this whole thing.
> 
> Most importantly is Neil Young’s “If I Could Have Her Tonight” from which the title and also the skeleton plot of this fic are inspired.

 

 

* * *

**December 31, 2011**

Bellamy Blake first sees Clarke Griffin perform when he is 22. He’s sitting on the hardwood of a fourth-floor venue where, in lieu of a stage, a speaker cord marks the barrier between the audience and the performer. She is 17, goes by Griffin, and everything about her — except that she is performing at a dumpy show coordinated by John Murphy — tells of an easy life.

Her voice first cuts through Bellamy’s animosity, deep with sadness and a powerful softness. And then he hears her lyrics. Bellamy doesn’t feel his world changing, but their paths merge together to the tune of her chords.

Murphy introduces them and Bellamy is acts like a jerk, never sure how to speak to someone with that air of privilege about them, but Clarke throws every jibe back at him. At midnight a host of the drunk and tipsy shout a countdown, heralding in the new year, but Bellamy and Clarke have found a room with a piano, and the rest of the world has disappeared. _Touching Down_ is recorded for the first time on Clarke’s iPhone 4; Bellamy’s Cosmos wouldn’t have done the job. In the next months, the song will become something neither of them could possibly imagine, but between them in that room it’s mutual healing. They build a relationship on a piano bench as one year ends and another begins with no idea what is coming for them, but if either had been asked who they would want by their side in the face of sudden global fame, they would have named each other even then.

\--

_all of the sudden she was on my mind_

_i wasn't ready for her kind_

_she was taking her time_

"If I Could Have Her Tonight," Neil Young

\--

**Pitchfork: Breaking News**

**March 6, 2016**

Alt-folk. What is it? Lately, it has been synonymous with the name _Bellgriff_ , a musical duo with a revolutionary sound that’s neither folk nor rock. But the worlds of both genres are feeling the aftershock of the announcement that Bellgriff is no more.

The story of Bellgriff is one the world tried to learn as the pair broke onto the indie scene starting in 2012. They were private, they were powerful, and they were making music like nothing we had ever heard before. The duo had a popular EP, including their biggest hit _Touching Down,_ before joining the Matador label. They released three full albums with Matador, the last of which came out in October. They seemed to be a music-making machine, a collision of talents that both oppose and complement each other, but today the story ends. Members Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin have announced that they will be parting ways indefinitely and pursuing individual careers.

“It’s the fate of the rock band,” said Charles Pike of Matador Records, the former duo’s manager. “Artist like Blake and Griffin are just too passionate. When people like them fight, it’s bigger and louder and more passionate than anything else. It’s also way harder to come back from.”

Pike reported that the duo’s four-year contract with Matador ended in mid-February, at which point discussions of a separation began. It is not yet decided if either artist will continue with the label.

 

_\--_

**Twitter**

**March 6, 2016**

Zoe Monroe @ZoeRoe99: my heart is broken #reunitebellgriff2k16

 

Matador Records @matadorrecords: We wish @bellamyblake and @clarkegriffin the best of luck in solo careers and are glad to have been a part of #Bellgriff's journey

 

\--

**griffin-bells.tumblr.com/new-post**

**March 7, 2016**

New Post: I’m not even worried. Have you seen Bellamy perform beside Clarke, and her beside him? They’re soulmates, I think; whether they are romantically involved or not, they are connected. Anyone who has seen them perform their hit “ _together_ ” subscribes to the soulmate theory. They take each other’s pain on in that song, their voices merging intimately and their souls really becoming one.

They just need some time to do their own things, to develop themselves. Honestly, it's exciting to see who they might become on their own. We never would have gotten Crosby, Stills & Nash if Buffalo Springfield hadn’t split up, and imagine a world without that brilliance. We’re gonna get some good stuff out of Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin on their own, and they’ll grow from it. But eventually they’ll have to return to each other.

Don’t worry, Bellgriff will be back.

_#bellgriff #bellgriff breakup #bellgriff soulmates #bellgriff together #griffinbells rambles_

 

\--

**Blog Post**

**May 20, 2016**

Today’s post will be structured like a good, old-fashioned academic essay, the kind they tried to teach us in the tenth grade.

 **Audience** : Music lovers of the internet and all those who are still heartbroken over the breakup of Bellgriff.

 **Purpose** : To persuade readers of my thesis.

 **Thesis** : Bellamy Blake has had a powerful emotional connection with Clarke Griffin from the first time they met.

 **Justification** : It has been almost three months since the announcement that Blake and Griffin were going their separate ways, but many of us can't believe that such a pairing can ever truly end. We need reminders like this one to stay sane in this trying time.

 **Body** : Blake and Griffin met at a small New Years Eve concert in 2011. The world was first introduced to this information in an interview with John Murphy, a competitor-turned-coworker-turned-friend of Bellamy Blake (though the friendship staggered after said interview). The interview, originally published as part of a spotlight on Murphy in _People_ , has gone viral as it includes information we had never heard before. The members of Bellgriff had kept much of their past hidden until that point, sharing only through their music.

Murphy painted a picture of a small, DIY concert in SoHo featuring a performance by nineteen-year-old Griffin. Murphy stated that one of the pieces she performed was her original song _Sister_ , which was part of an EP she had released that year. (The song is still on Bandcamp.com, right where nineteen-year-old Clarke Griffin uploaded it. We know that her life has completely shifted since that time, which you can read about in my previous post about her transformation [link]. The EP was called “Keyless,” which is thought to be an ode to her desertion of classical piano and turn to songwriting.)

The meaning of _Sister_ is up for interpretation, as are most of Griffin’s lyrics, but we can gather that it's a creative reflection on herself through talking about a fictional sister (Griffin is an only child.) Some particularly striking lyrics are:

_“I have a sister, I just haven’t found her yet // If she’s out there with my eyes and my point of view, she may be feeling these things too // I hope she has not seen too much.”_

This song is the first piece of evidence supporting my thesis. Bellamy Blake would have immediately connected to the song. One thing we know about Blake for sure is that his love for his sister is one of the only pure things from his childhood, and that he will do anything for her. Their connection, and his protection of her, in many ways defined his character.

The second piece of evidence comes from an interview with SPIN from 2014, in which Blake stated, “I've always had trouble distinguishing between my feelings for a song and for the songwriter. I figure I'm connecting to the emotion they've created, which is a very intimate connection to make.”

 **Conclusion** : We know Bellamy would have loved a song like _Sister_ because of his background, or would have at least had a deep emotional connection to it. By his own admittance, he would have had the same emotional connection with the writer and performer, Clarke. Therefore, we can conclude that Bellamy Blake has had a deep emotional connection to Clarke Griffin since the first day they met.

 

\--

**_Rolling Stone_ **

**August 18, 2016**

The music world went a-buzz for Bellamy Blake’s first solo tour that launched last month in New York. It is the first large-scale tour for the artist without long-time counterpart Clarke Griffin at his side, and the world has been anxiously waiting for what that would look like. Viewers say he displays his musical abilities in a raw passion, sticking only loosely to a set list and frequently going rogue. Critics have called this passion unsustainable; Bellgriff believers call it disorganization, a lack of grounding without his counterpart.

During a show in Chicago, he cut off the well-known power chords of _Who We Need to Be_ (the breakout favorite of his latest EP) to go instead into an all-new acoustic version of the song, a recording of which has gone viral. Listeners have agreed that this broken-down version of the popular song rejuvenates the lyrics of pain and survival. Blake’s life story is nothing new, but it can be easy for us to forget the toll it took on our favorite folk-rock heartthrob. Fans agree that this refocusing of the song, on the lyrics rather than the music, coupled with Blake’s raw energy on stage bring a new appreciation for the artist's talent as a songwriter.

In light of his solo success, most fans have moved on from grieving the breakup of Bellgriff, his musical collaboration with singer and composer Clarke Griffin which has been called rock’s greatest coupling since Fleetwood Mac [link]. However, fans who aren't over it have woven threads of hope that Blake isn't over the break up either.

An instance of speculation came during Blake’s show in Boston when he covered Neil Young’s _If I Could Have Her Tonight_. Loyal fans swear he was singing a direct tribute to Griffin.

_Lately I've found myself // Losing my mind // Knowing how badly I need her_

Other critics, who have long compared Blake’s raw acoustic style to that of the legendary Neil Young, say this was just an ode to a musical influence.

 

\--

**BBC Talk Show**

**December 2, 2016**

Clarke isn't even looking at the TV from the suite’s mini kitchen, using a commercial break to fish through the cupboard. She was flipping through channels and landed on this one aimlessly, and suddenly his laugh is in the room with her and she's tripping over her own feet.

“So, Bellamy, last night in Brighton you played _together,_ which we all know to be a song written when you were still part of Bellgriff. In fact this is the first time any of us have heard the song as a solo.”

The host has some thick British accent that she can't identify and has some trouble deciphering. “How does that work?” He asks.

“Not quite sure what you mean by that, Kyle.”

The crowd laughs, because of course they love Bellamy. They'd laugh at anything he said, especially when it's accompanied by that beautiful, shit-eating grin. Clarke leans on the counter and resigns to watching. _Pike’s right. You’re going to ruin us_ , he’d said. She hasn’t forgiven him.

“Well, I mean,” the host, Kyle, continues, “how is that you can play those songs? Have you got the rights to _together_ or could you get in trouble for that, legally? Or could Clarke Griffin perform it if she wanted to?”

These are the questions that really make Clarke’s blood boil. She's dodged and answered ones just like it more times than she cares to count. The camera refocuses on Bellamy and she thinks the downturn of his lips might come from a similar resentment.

“Here's the secret of breaking up any kind of relationship, Kyle: some things must be held sacred. For us it was the music. Song rights were just about the only thing we didn't fight about. We decided that in the beginning — well it wasn't even a decision really, it was just something...well listen to me rambling.”

“That's alright, we'd like to hear you ramble. Ain't tha’ right?” The British crowd agrees with Kyle. “When you say ‘we,’ Bellamy, do you mean yourself and your lawyers, or the leading lady herself?”

“Miss Griffin only ever fights her own battles, Kyle.” Clarke feels her neck and face heating as the crowd laughs, more angry than anything. Angry that he can say something like that in front of an audience, that he calls her “Miss Griffin,” that she isn't at his side to argue back.

“I guess what I mean to say,” Bellamy continues, “is that we both firmly believe that music is something that belongs to everyone. It can't be fought over by lawyers. So what's mine is hers, and what's ours is everyone’s. No debate necessary, especially when the legal rights to every song we’d ever written were suddenly being questioned.”

“Well, I hafta say, it sounds like you two had the smoothest musical break up ever.”

“Ah well musically maybe but you should have seen the state we left the tour bus in.”

Clarke turns off the TV, angry, still _so_ angry. Pissed at whoever the hell Kyle is for thinking he can talk about her without his permission. Angry at Bellamy for handling it the exact same way she would have. Rather than piano, her dreams are filled with his voice. She wakes up even more agitated than she started.

 

\--

**Spotify Session: Bellamy Blake**

**December 31, 2016**

Track 3: _Intro to Six Years_

“ _Here’s a song I started writing just this morning_ ,” Bellamy’s voice says as the track begins. It's the clear sound of an empty recording booth, no other noise but the rustle of his clothes and hollow echo of his guitar on a bouncing knee. “ _It's about a friend I made five years ago. We haven't been speaking lately…”_ The rustle of readjustment. _“The new year is supposed to bring changes so I guess I’m just stuck in that mindset…Anyway, I hope you like this_.”

Track 4: _Six Years_

_Five years ago I met you // You weren't wearing sleeves // You sang about a sister and ignored the winter breeze_

_Maybe in our sixth year // we’ll go back to the start // It will be year one again// we won't be apart_

_…_

 

\--

**Channel 3 News - Live**

**February 4, 2017**

Anya holds her breath. As the executive producer of the Channel 3 music segment, its her head if reacts badly to Bellgriff’s breakup being brought up on live television. When the host reads through a series of tweets the two artists posted about each other in the heat of things, everyone on set is relieved when the musician laughs along. The studio audience certainly gets a kick out of it.

“Let me read you this quote from a 2015 ABC article,” the host continues. “‘He was an indie rocker with a handful of fans in a few major cities. She was a prodigious classical pianist turned singer/songwriter with massive potential. They met at a concert on New Year’s Eve, got drunk with a piano, and the rest is history…or is it? Tensions between the two members of alt-folk band Bellgriff have been risings, visible especially through their social media, where they fight for the whole world to see.’ Sounds like the world was watching a messy divorce.”

Anya rolls her eyes at the host’s dramatics.

“Well, yeah. Bellgriff’s breakup and everything that led up to it really was like a divorce: favorite CDs being held hostage, screaming matches, deleted posts, all that jazz,” Clarke continues, and the studio audience laughs. Anya watches the host’s face closely, glad his expression remains neutral even as the entire crew’s breath catches, hardly believing they have gotten Clarke Griffin to speak on the subject of Bellamy Blake. And that she continues.

“It really was, because he and I were so intertwined at that point and everything we had done—professionally or personally—had been connected for four years. And four years might not seem like a lot but, I mean, it was a long time.”

“Of course, yeah,” the host agrees. His entire persona is one that Anya finds unbearable, but people like his wit and laughing eyes.

“And, you know, the music was like the kids. Above all else, and despite everything, we wanted what was best for the music. We went to a session with the label’s lawyers and they asked—I’ll never forget this—they asked ‘Who gets the music?’”

Griffin turns to the crowd, gestures asking for a reaction of shock that they gladly provide.

“The said ‘Who gets the music’ and we, both of us, had the same reaction. We hadn’t been able to speak for months without screaming at each other, but we knew what mattered. At the same time, we answered, ‘Both of us.’ So we didn't try to hash out the who-wrote-what or who-owns-more-of-this-song. Because we were so interlinked when we created all that music that it would be impossible to divide between us. So we share the music. I play whatever, whenever, and so does he. No custody battle, so to speak. We just want what is best for the music.”

The crowd cheers. The host sneaks a look at the production crew. Anya knows the look in his eyes and shakes her head _no_ , knowing that pushing any further into this subject will backfire. He looks away and she knows he's going to do it anyway.

“And what about,” he begins slowly, “songs written after the fact about each other, about your shared experiences?”

“I'm not sure I know what you mean,” Griffin answers. Her posture has changed, stiffened slightly. He continues anyway.

_Dammit, Collins!_

“There has been a lot of speculation that Bellamy Blake still writes music about you. He recorded a new song on New Year’s Eve called ‘Six Years’ that fans are saying is definitely about you. What's your take on this?”

“I haven't actually heard that song, so all I can say is that it's probably not about me,” Griffin answers, still smiling professionally but noticeably less comfortable. “And if it were, there would be no reason he couldn't sing about me.”

“Why is that?”

There is a pause in the conversation as Griffin glances off stage to her manager, a brief moment that no one but Anya would consider significant, before answering.

“For more than three years, everything we did musically involved each other. Sometimes it's…sometimes it's hard to just flip a switch and not do that anymore.”

Anya signals a commercial break and the host wraps things up with his guest. She knows this is going to cause a great amount of trouble booking artists with any connection to Griffin and her counterpart, a social and professional web that is large and increasingly connected. As she processes this, a text comes through to her phone reading “raven reyes’ people just called. she's out. need to fill next tuesday.”

Anya tears off her headphones and leaves the set. At least now she will have some leverage in replacing Finn Collins.

 

\--

**Breathing Beethovens - Podcast**

**May 28, 2017**

There is no way to tune into something this specific on accident, so Bellamy has to admit to himself that he’s seeking her out.

“You’re an idiot,” his sister says when she hears it playing in the kitchen.

“Eat your bagel and leave me alone,” Bellamy replies.

“ _So, if you don’t mind me asking, why did the two of you call your group ‘Bellgriff?’”_

_“We wanted to take the most fantastic parts of our names, both of them, and put it together. A hybrid name for a hybrid sound. We played around with it for a while. I almost went with ‘lark,’ like the songbird. We would have been ‘Bellark’ then but that was too much like bell-ark, and that's not so cool. So I went with griff, like griffin. There was something about it that we both liked too much to give up once we’d said it out loud.”_

_“That's fun. And the griffin is a hybrid creature itself, isn't it?”_

She laughs. _God_ , Bellamy missed that laugh.

 _“Yeah it is. A perfect fit. Bellamy, though, figured bells were pretty magical, too. He said something really poetic about fairies and angel wings, it was lovely. And that, as you probably know, was the basis for the song_ Touching Down _.”_

 _“Such a great song!”_ the host continues. “ _I think I can speak for all listeners and say that we were captivated by the story of touching down to earth after a long absence and rediscovering it, but we want more. What does it all mean?”_

 _“I think it speaks for itself really,”_ Clarke answers. _“It can mean whatever the listener feels like it means. Anything it doesn’t say outright is up for interpretation, and I don’t want to take that away from people. I don’t think I'm the one who gets to say what a song means or doesn’t mean, even if I did write it.”_

_“That’s beautiful.”_

_“Music is beautiful.”_

_“Let’s move on to what you’re doing now. It’s quite a change of pace for you!”_

_“Yeah, you know, it’s strange for me because Bellgriff, songwriting in general, was what I did to avoid composing and performing. Now here I am, doing just that.”_

_“And we’re so glad you decided to go at it, finally. Your most recent piece,_ The Hundred _, I don’t even have any words-”_

Bellamy quits the browser.

 

\--

**June 18, 2017**

Their paths cross again in Pennsylvania of all places. It's on the list of states that Bellamy only has one stop in on this national tour. It's June and apparently Pennsylvania is really damn hot in June. He misses the dry sun and sand of Arizona, craves home even though he doesn't really believe in “home” in a geographic sense; he misses blindly tuning between familiar stations on the radio dial and bathing in the sun. Pennsylvania isn't dry or familiar or home, and even if it is just for one night, he doesn't want to be here.

Maybe this longing for the familiar is what has him less combative when he sees her name in literal flashing lights above the theater.

“ _But don't worry, she's going north next, apparently this is just a north-east thing she's doing,_ ” his manager texts, from a distance.

Worry isn't even on Bellamy’s radar. He's weary and spent, ready to collapse after his warm up, wishing he was popular in circles that would let him be done before midnight. He's a bit homesick and a lot tired, but not worried. In fact, hearing her name is something powerfully peaceful, even if he has felt mostly anger towards her for the better part of two years.

 _“any chance I can get in there tonight?”_ He texts Miller.

The response is preceded by three bouncing dots that appear and disappear as if there might not be a response at all. “ _Really? It's just some piano thing.”_

_“yes really.”_

A quick response this time. _“I'll see what I can do.”_

A performance hall, he knows, would be much harder to go unnoticed in than his own concert venue. It really is too bad that Bellamy so loves a challenge.

Miller calls in a favor and soon Bellamy is squeezed into a balcony with another viewer who has promised discretion, waiting for her. “I'm always fucking waiting for her,” he thinks.

She debuts three brand new pieces. Bell wonders how in hell she had managed to compose three new piano pieces, each so achingly beautiful and original, since last February. It had taken every bit of energy in him to put out two half-decent EPs in that same time. He'd gotten one good hit out of those, but the music he's experiencing from Clarke now is worthy of so much more.

But if he thinks the new pieces are striking, then he is completely unprepared for the familiar. One in particular he has witnessed her playing many times. It's the one she wrote with her father, the one she always plays when she is hurting. He has found her playing it everywhere from a keyboard in their tour bus bed to a mini-grand in the dark conference room of a big-city hotel. Regardless of where or why she is playing it, Clarke always plays it beautifully. He wonders why she is playing it now.

It's the first time ever, he realizes, that he hasn't been in a place to ask her why she's hurting.

Exhaustion could be blamed for his spike in emotion, but so could her skill on the piano. He doesn't tell her he is there that night, just slips out silently afterwards. At his own show he sings louder and plays harder to fill the empty space beside him.

He falls asleep at 5:35 a.m. with her music playing in his ears.

 

\--

**_E!_ **

**June 19, 2017**

Fans of the former indie rock group Bellgriff are going wild with speculation after it was confirmed that singer/songwriter Bellamy Blake attended Clarke Griffin’s performance last night in Philadelphia. Blake was in town for a show himself which he went on to perform just hours after attending Griffin’s. Blake’s manager put out a statement confirming the event but denying press speculation about Griffin and Blake having mended their relationship. The statement read:

“Bellamy Blake attended his old friend and musical partner’s performance at the Kimmel Center yesterday evening. Blake was in town for his own performance at The Fillmore. The two did not interact, but Blake enjoyed the performance and wishes his friend success in her solo career.”

The event by this account was brief and telling of no current or further connection between the former partners. However, this hasn't stopped fans from speculating.

Attendees of Blake’s concert last night reported that his performance was highly emotional even before the story broke of his visit with Griffin. An employee of The Fillmore (who chooses not to disclose their name) told _E!_ that Blake deviated slightly from the planned setlist.

“ _Centered_ and _Whatever the Hell We Want_ were not on the list at all. That was improvised by Mr. Blake.”

Both of these are Bellgriff songs and both have some backstory to them. _Centered_ was co-written by Griffin and Blake in 2013 at the height of the duo’s fame and shortly after the tragic death of Griffin’s father. The lyrics are about keeping each other centered despite the personal tragedy and life-altering stress of worldwide fame. Last night, Blake reportedly sat at the piano himself and slowed the song down, singing his own part but playing through Griffin’s.

 _Whatever the Hell We Want_ is famously a song that Griffin never liked, one they admit to having fought over many times during their tenure.

Were these two songs an expression of Blake’s emotions over separating from Griffin? Were these emotions sparked by her performance that evening?

Many questions go unanswered but two things are known for sure: Bellamy Blake has at least professional goodwill for Clarke Griffin, and we aren't giving up hope that they will get back together.

 

\--

**Kids Interview Bands: Madi interviews Clarke Griffin**

**July 9, 2017**

“Hey guys, this is Madi from KidsInterviewBands.com and I’m here today with singer, songwriter, and composer Clarke Griffin. Hi Clarke!”

“Hi Madi, it’s very nice to meet you!” Clarke is cheered by this precocious young girl and excited for the non-conventional interview.

“My first question is: Where do you like to be when you’re composing new music?”

“That’s a good question Madi. I think…well I just have to always be pretty close to a piano because usually I compose in the spur of the moment when something comes to me. But if I’m planning to sit down and work something out…then I like to be at my dad’s old piano back home.”

“Why do you like playing piano so much that you stopped writing lyrical music?”

Clarke appreciates the steel in Madi’s eyes, the one telling her that she isn’t just a kid messing around with iMovies; she means business.

“That’s a harder one. Piano…piano isn’t easy, but it is familiar. After the turn my life has taken in the last couple years, I need to fall back on the familiar, take my time and reevaluate myself.” Clarke isn’t sure why or even how she manages to say this out loud. Maybe it is the streak of defiance in Madi’s eyes or the way the girl has built a career at the age of just twelve. Maybe Clarke has been waiting for someone trustworthy enough to speak these words to. “Piano is healing, whereas singing is building, and I need to work on some things before I push myself to songwriting again.”

“Who was the first musician you can remember listening to?”

“I remember my dad playing Pink Floyd’s _Dark Side of the Moon_ when I was really, really young. ‘Breath (In the Air)’ was his favorite track.”

“What do you like most about performing your new music?”

“I’m really just glad to have an audience. The pieces I’m composing don’t cater to any traditional audiences, and yet there are still many people who want to hear it.” Something about Madi’s eyes, Clarke decides, is what gets her to admit the truth without hesitation. They’re steady, shockingly so in such a young face.

“Did you invite your old bandmate, Bellamy Blake, to your last show?” Now the girl’s expression is daring, telling Clarke that she knows she pushed a boundary, and she is proud of it.

“No actually he came on his own.”

“When your former band, Bellgriff, broke up, were you ready to move on from the band or from Bellamy Blake?”

Clarke is experienced enough in this to react without hesitation, without any incriminating flusters or blushes. But Madi, regardless, seems to see every emotion that Clarke doesn’t express.

“Bellgriff was a stroke of luck. Bellamy and I connected very quickly and deeply, so we were able to create some amazing music. But personally we weren’t ready for each other. We had to go our separate ways, and unfortunately Bellgriff had to disband to accommodate that.”

“Alright, thank you, Clarke!”

 

\--

 **_The Daily_ ** **: University of Washington’s Student-Run Newspaper**

**October 3, 2017**

Musician Bellamy Blake is hosting and headlining a benefit concert in honor of UW’s late professor Jacob Griffin on January 21, 2018. Griffin was a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW for eighteen year. The concert will be held at Benaroya Hall in Downtown Seattle on the five-year anniversary of the accident that took Griffin’s life in 2013. All proceeds of the concert will go to the Jacob C. Griffin Foundation, which funds environment-focused projects in developing nations.

Blake, former musical partner of Griffin’s daughter Clarke, announced this morning that he would be headlining the concert for his departed friend alongside rapper Raven Reyes and local musician Wells Jaha, a former student of Griffin.

Abigail Griffin, widow of Jake and doctoral professor of global health at UW, publically thanked Blake and all involved this afternoon.

“It means so much to our family that our friends and community are honoring my late husband and his legacy,” she said. “This contribution to the Jake Griffin Foundation will make a wonderful impact.”

Further details about the benefit concert will be announced in early November.

 

\--

**Twitter**

**December 31, 2017**

John Murphy @jurphy00: @BellamyBlake last time i heard this song was #NYE2011 by @ClarkeGriffin #sugarmountain

  
Bellamy Blake @BellamyBlake: @jurphy00: neil young and clarke griffin, two artists to whom i could never do justice SugarMountainLive.mp3


	2. Chapter 2

**Celebrity Conspiracies**

**January 2, 2018**

Theory: Bellamy Blake sings Neil Young when he is thinking about Clarke Griffin.

We know from multiple sources including these tweets [link] that Griffin covered a Neil Young song at the concert where she and Bellamy first met. We have seen many instances since then of Blake covering Neil Young, which critics say is a good fit for his sound and style as a songwriter. The first and most public instance of this was during his first solo performance six months after the Bellgriff split. Was this an ode to his ex-partner? We think so.

Also, we know that Blake _has_ been thinking about Griffin lately, from attending her performance in June to initiating a memorial event for her father next month. Does this mean they are officially on good terms? Could this give hope for a reunion in the future?

 

\--

**Celebuzz! Music**

**January 13, 2018**

“Clarke and Lexa, Part 3 (4? 5?)”

Clarke Griffin seems to have gotten back with her on-again/off-again girlfriend, Lexa Debnam-Carey, about two years after their last breakup. The two were reportedly seen together at Griffin’s townhouse in Seattle, where Griffin has resided since the end of her North-East tour last summer and fall.

Could the approaching anniversary of her father’s death play a role in this reunion? Is Griffin seeking solace in her once-high-school-sweetheart? That’s up to our readers to decide.

[Image: Griffin and Debnam-Carey holding hands in the Denny Triangle area of Seattle.]

Rumors spread during Bellgriff’s 2016 “divorce” that Debnam-Carey was a major sore spot between the two members of the alt-folk group.

[Image: Griffin and Debnam-Carey attending a show while together in December 2015.]

 

\--

**Text**

**January 22, 2018**

(01:04 a.m. 1/22/2018)

From: Clarke

_Thank you. I’m not taking back everything I said in the end, but you have to know I’m always going to love you. My dad loved you too._

 

\--

**griffin-bells.tumblr.com**

**January 22, 2018**

Anonymous asked: kinda rude that Clarke didn't even go to the concert? all that was done for her and she didn't even go. seems like a bitch move tbh.

griffin-bells replied: To you and everyone else out there spewing the same hateful bullshit — _you are wrong_. Clarke Griffin was required to do absolutely nothing yesterday except take care of herself in whichever way she needed to. In this case, it was to stay out of the public eye. We have no right to judge her for not attending an incredibly public event on a night of personal mourning.

On another note, the benefit concert hosted by Bellamy and her other friends was not a publicity stunt. It was meant to memorialize Dr. Jake Griffin and raise support for his foundation. I do not believe Bellamy put the concert on “for her” alone, and he definitely does not begrudge Clarke for not attending.

 

folkfeverr asked: Do you think this concert is a sign that B and C are on good terms again?

griffin-bells replied: Yes, or at least that whatever hostility was between them has died down. And it isn't the first sign. They have begun talking about each other favorably in interviews again, and he attended her performance in Philly this summer.

 

Anonymous asked: do you think Lexa stopped Clarke from going to the concert? We know that Bell and Lexa didn’t get along when Clexa was last together in 2015…

griffin-bells replied: No. Delete this thought from your consciousness. Next question.

 

\--

**Opinion: Why Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin Won’t Be Apart Much Longer**

**February 15, 2018**

It has been two years since the dissolution of Bellgriff, but here are five reasons why we know they are getting back together eventually.

**1\. Blake has admitted that Griffin was a key part in his ability to write music.**

In an interview with James Corden last October, Blake admitted that Griffin played a key role in his success even before Bellgriff’s official formation. He said, “Clarke added an element to my writing process that I haven't found in any other source. We broke each other down, which is really good for art but really bad for a close-quarters relationship...The song I wrote about my mother in 2011 wouldn't have happened if Clarke hadn't helped me work through some things.”

The song referred to, _Give that to you_ , was put out a few months before Bellgriff’s first album together. Fans and critics alike have agreed that since Blake restarted his solo career, his songs have lacked the _something_ that we are used to in Blake’s sound. This isn't to say that Blake without Griffin is not a talented artist. We can just agree that there is something missing now.

**2\. Griffin probably wants to get back to singing.**

Since the dissolution in 2016, Clarke Griffin has taken a break from singing and songwriting altogether. She has instead returned to composing for the piano, in which she is classically trained and educated. Before giving up the keys at the age of 17, she racked up a great amount of success, including 1st place in the highly competitive 2008 International Competition for Young Pianists.

While away from the world of classical piano, Griffin said many times that she didn’t miss it, that it was something she did for her parents rather than for herself.

Her recent return to the keys has been successful, and in an interview last fall [link] she stated that she has channeled much of her grief and recovery over the death of her father into her more recent art. But we can’t ignore the idea that this phase will end and, with it, the desire to break away from classical piano will return.

**3\. The other Blake wants them to.**

Bellamy Blake’s younger sister has gained a significant amount of fame in light of her brother’s success, especially since he has mentioned or alluded to her in much of his music. More recently, the younger Blake sibling has dated NBA sweetheart Lincoln Grounds, gaining mainstream media attention. She’s a total badass in her own right, too.

Octavia and Griffin have maintained a close friendship even since the break up. Additionally, Octavia has supported a reunion on social media. She tweeted last September, “listening to ‘ _together_ ’...whenever my brother comes to his senses, i’ll be the first to buy Bellgriff’s fourth album.”

**4\. The rock industry needs more folk like Bellgriff’s.**

Blake was picked up by indie label Gulcher in late 2017. He spent a few months recording in Orlando before releasing “Down Here,” his first full album since Bellgriff’s split. The album is an ode to his past struggles and how he navigated through poverty and abandonment, a Bon-Iver-esque collision of solitude and raw music. In just three weeks since its debut, the album has gained striking success both critically and popularly. Much of the praise goes along the lines of originality; the alternative folk-rock scene certainly isn't lacking, but the pool of listeners seems to be growing.

Popularity of artists like Bellamy Blake, and earlier Bellgriff, comes with a demand for more.

In the same amount of time that it took Blake to produce this album, Bellgriff put out two (from the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2013.) It seems that Blake and Griffin together manage to put out more of what the public needs, and faster, than they do apart.

**5\. They are miserable without each other.**

We aren’t saying that Clarke Griffin only plays piano when she’s sad, but we are pretty sure that she was miserable the entire time she trained musically in the past. She has said plenty of times, like in this interview [link], that piano was something her mother forced her into, and that fear of wasted time and guilt mostly motivated Griffin to keep up with it. Therefore, we know she is probably not too happy just composing.

You can refer to a more extensive article [link] from January (courtesy of _Celebrity Conspiracies_ ) detailing Blake’s public yet coded displays of mourning in Griffin’s absence. Additionally, Griffin has expressed on separate occasions that life at the piano is isolating, whereas having a musical partner in Blake brought companionship to her life that made her career “infinitely more enjoyable.”

 

\--

**Celebuzz! Music**

**February 23, 2018**

“Off Again!”

Clarke Griffin has split from her girlfriend Lexa Debnam-Carey once again and this time she says “it’s over.”

[Image: Griffin in Seattle, Debnam-Carey in London.]

 

\--

**MuzeRoom**

**March 14, 2018**

The worlds of indie music and classical piano were simultaneously blown away yesterday when Clarke Griffin released her first lyrical song since 2016. The song, titled _The Head Needs_ , appeared with no more announcement than a post on Griffin’s personal twitter account:

Clarke Griffin @clarkegriffin: “Music can say just about anything, but sometimes it needs lyrics…” (11:14 AM - 13 March 2018)

With this song, Griffin has broken her single-day streaming record on Apple Music as the single pulled in 95 million streams in the first 24 hours. Her previous record, held while part of Bellgriff, was 87.9 million streams of the group’s third album in December 2015.

This stanza contained the most-quoted lyrics which have been trending on Tumblr and Twitter for 24 hours:

> _Two halves can't survive when they're pulling apart // Beyond all control, the head still needs the heart_

The song has already broken into the Billboard top 40.

...

 

\--

**Twitter**

**March 14, 2018**

Zoe Monroe @ZoeRoe99: NOT A DRILL!! #reunitebellgriff2k16 lives! (9:17 PM - 13 March 2018)

 

Zoe Monroe @ZoeRoe99: CLARKE IS THE HEAD AND BELLAMY IS THE HEART AND THIS SONG IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR #reunitebellgriff2k16 #ClarkeGriffin #BellamyBlake (3:51 PM - 14 March 2018)

 

\--

**Tumblr**

**March 15, 2018**

Anonymous asked: is “The Head Needs” about clarke and bellamy? Hopeful but open to skepticism xxx

bellgriff-together replied: I think it easily could be. She did just break up with Lexa, and it could be viewed as a breakup song. But the most damning point of evidence towards the Bellamy Theory is in the opening stanza of the song:

> _We’ve been through a lot together // You and I // Damned by my head and your heart and our pride_

And we all know where those first lines came from!!!!! That’s right: 2016 Bellgriff song _You and I (we’ve been through a lot together)._

 

\--

**Vogue: Met Gala 2018 Live Coverage**

**May 8, 2018**

_Riri and Sarah Paulson steal the show tonight…and hopefully nothing else. Last time they visited the Met Gala they were shooting for heist-film_ Ocean’s 8 _._

One of these days, Clarke knows, she will attend the Met Gala herself. Until then, she will spend the first Monday of every May glued to as many screens as possible, following Vogue’s live coverage of the Red Carpet passionately. Raven joins Clarke most years, and this time she has worn her abuela’s rosarie in the spirit of the gala’s Catholic-esque theme (“I’m Irish and Mexican, that basically makes me _biologically_ Catholic.”)

“I’m going to write a song about the gala someday, just watch,” Clarke states, half into her second mug of gin and chai, then groans as images of the Clooneys begin to appear. “Unfair how perfect they are. I should be there; I'm famous too.”

“You're C-list at best, Griffin.”

“I hate you.”

_Liu Wen in Michael Kors Collection._

“She's completely perfect,” Clarke whines. “Is that Mitt Romney? Lol they spelled it M-I-I-T. Good. His wife is pretty though.”

“Are Mormons allowed in when it's Catholic year?”

“They're more likely to get the boot for politics than religion.”

“Well it is the _red_ carpet.”

_J.Lo and A-Rod. If we give them a couple name they will just shorten it._

“We get it Jen,” says Clarke. “You're still hot. Now put your leg away. Seriously, that dress is half slit.”

Raven begins yelling at her friend in a quick string of Spanish in defense of _“mi madre”_ , but stops suddenly when—

_Couple Confirmed! Singer/Songwriter Bellamy Blake arrives on the arm DJ and Record Producer Echo. The two have been skirting questions about their relationship for weeks but confirm it tonight._

Clarke blinks, blinks again, then downs the rest of her drink.

“Time for communion, I think,” she said says, going for the bottle of deep red wine in her fridge.

“Babe-” Raven begins, moving closer already.

“Nope, I'm fine. That doesn't matter to me at all.”

“Clarke, don't do this. Just come to terms with it. You have feelings for Bellamy Blake and this hurts.”

“God dammit, Ray, try an ounce of restraint for once in your life.”

“No, absolutely not, not after all the times I listened to Drunk Clarke ramble about him. Literally the _entirety_ of March, babe.”

“You want to know the truth? Fine. I'm absolutely pissed that he got invited to the Met and I didn't.”

Raven rolls her eyes at her friend’s evasion, then makes the sign of the cross before downing her share of wine.

 

\--

**Pitchfork: News**

**May 31, 2018**

Clarke Griffin will open eight stages for Florence + The Machine in August and September. The band recruited Griffin for the North American leg of their global tour, specifically the Pacific Northwest. Griffin will play in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, British Columbia, and Washington, her home state.

With the recent rebirth of Griffin as a singer/songwriter, this exposure could be a make-or-break moment for her aspiring independent career. Before creating the sensational Bellgriff sound alongside Bellamy Blake, Griffin spent only a year as a nineteen-year-old solo artist. The world is excited to see who this classically trained pianist can be as a solo singer/songwriter.

 

\--

**Billboard: Clarke Griffin Q &A Backstage @ Lollapalooza 2018**

**August 2, 2018**

She’s touring without him. Of course, she has done this before, but from a piano bench and in front of a very different crowd. Bellamy is for whatever reason having a hard time with this information. And all day he has been watching footage of her playing at Lollapalooza, a show Miller had to talk him out of attending _(“Can’t do that again, man, it was a hard enough press bullet to bite last time”)_. She was amazing.

And of course, that song… He has been ignoring everything that song might mean, just trying his best not to fly to Seattle and—well he didn’t really know what he would do.

And here he is, tuned in to every word she says. Reading goddamn Billboard articles just to know what she’s thinking about.

Billboard: Are you done with piano?

Clarke Griffin: No, right now I'm stepping away, but from this point forward I’m not burning any bridges. The first time I quit piano I was 19 and I swore I was never going back to it, but look where I am now.

Billboard: Can we expect more original songs soon?

CG: Absolutely.

Billboard: Why the hiatus from songwriting?

CG: It’s something I can only do when I’m really in touch with myself and I wasn’t in touch for about three years.

Billboard: That aligns with when your band broke up, so to speak. Is there a correlation between the two?

CG: Absolutely, but the breakup didn’t cause the change in mental state, I’d say it’s the other way around truthfully.

Billboard: So how did you manage to put out a song in March?

CG: That song just came out of me. It was a part of me but it needed to get out. I don’t think I can explain it any more than that. “These words are my diary screaming out loud” I guess.

Bellamy laughs. Just laughs. Clarke once called _Breathe_ the best song of the early 2000s but threatened his life if he told anyone.

 

\--

**EntertainThis!: Bellamy Blake and Echo call it quits**

**August 5, 2018**

Echo, the stage name of DJ, producer and remixer Tasya Teles, and singer Bellamy Blake seem to have broken off their relationship on Saturday, with this tweet coming from Echo early Sunday morning:

Tasya Teles @Echo: I guess I was just a distraction, but whatever xxx (1:17 AM - 5 August 2018)

Blake and Echo were together publicly starting May, but were caught in some semi-public affectionate moments as early as March. In that time, Blake moved out to LA where Echo lives.

[Image: Bellamy Blake and Echo share a kiss while out in West Hollywood, June 2018.]

 

\--

**Rock Sound: Clarke Griffin joins Florence, kills it**

**August 23, 2018**

In her first show opening for Florence + the Machine in Boulder, Clarke Griffin didn’t just warm up the stage: she set it on fire. Griffin gave us two original songs, three covers and a lot to look forward to. Our favorite folk-inspired, classically trained, raspy voiced singer/songwriter is proving that she didn’t leave the piano bench to mess around…

 

\--

**Florence + the Machine with Clarke Griffin at Moda Center**

**September 11, 2018**

Red lights strobe as Clarke leaves the the fifth stage of eight. The Portland crowd screams for her.

“For me”, she thinks. “Not chants begging for the headliner, but praise _for me_.” Clarke is in absolute wonder. The same reaction came from the crowd in the last city.

Instead of joy, she wants to punch something, because she knows she won’t be able to do it again. _Just my luck to get this fucking sick in the first month that I’ve needed real health in a year._

Clarke hadn’t spoken a single word since leaving the last stage, and three different vocal coaches confirmed that these methods of care would preserve her vocal chords, but Clarke knows that after this performance, she has nothing left. She can feel her throat swelling already after the exertion of giving every ounce she had to this crowd.

She sends one text:

_I need you._

 

\--

**EntertainThis!: Bellamy Blake traveling to Clarke Griffin’s concert?**

**September 12, 2018**

If you have been holding your breath for Bellarke to finally reunite, get ready for some much-needed oxygen.

Bellamy Blake was seen boarding a flight to Seattle early this morning. Not only is Seattle the hometown of his former musical partner, but it is the next stop for on the Florence + The Machine’s tour that Clarke Griffin is opening for. A source on the tour says that preparations are being made for a high-profile visitor backstage -- could this be Blake?

[Image: Bellamy Blake boarding flight to Seattle from Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.]

 

\--

**Live: Florence + the Machine with Clarke Griffin at Safeco Field**

**September 13, 2018**

“You all know why I’m here, right,” Bellamy asks the crowd, passing his guitar to a stagehand. “I’m trying to make sure that we don’t lose one of the greatest voices of our generation.”

He walks to the standing mic. Clarke, sitting beside him at the keyboard, blushes, but the screaming crowd can’t see it under the purple stage lights. Bellamy can though. His heart squeezes like it always does when he looks at her. He takes the bass guitar from its stand and plucks a few notes.

“You guys wanna see something cool?” The crowd screams. Bellamy’s smile breaks his face. “I talked to Florence, she’s fine with this. It’ll only take a couple minutes. It’s got nothing to do with this guitar though,” he says.

In spite of his words, his fingers pluck a familiar melody. It’s thoughtless. It’s muscle memory. Five of Clarke’s fingers match his on the keys, playing the harmony. The crowd’s rippling recognition becomes a resounding roar.

Clarke nods and he continues, playing his vocal part of Bellgriff’s _I’m Sorry_ , and Clarke joins with what would be her own vocals, now on the keys. They play as if their instruments were their voices, creating a ghostly version of their old song for a few more seconds. The crowd sings the lyrics for them.

“You guys know that one, huh,” Bellamy asks after, and the crowd shouts an affirmative answer. He puts his bass down, freeing his hands.

“Yeah, that’s a good one. So here’s what I’m gonna do, guys: I am going to apologize. Apologies can be really hard sometimes when you’re really emotional about something, or when you don’t really think you’re completely wrong, but apologizing even in times like that is a good thing to do. Good people apologize, right? Good people apologize when they’ve hurt somebody, no matter what.”

He turns fully towards her, the most beautiful woman he has ever known. He can feel his face go silly with a smile when she looks up at him.

“Clarke Griffin, I’m sorry,” along with the last words, he plucks the three chords of their song — the one they spent days locked in a suite writing after a stupid argument on their second tour. “I’m sorry for everything I said. I was wrong. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. And I know that I’m kind of an asshole for saying all this in public, because it puts pressure on you to forgive me right now. Don’t. It’s just my public apology.”

A girl named Charlotte who is sitting in the front row makes a lot of money that night, because she is holding the phone that gets the best footage of Clarke Griffin abandoning her keyboard and jumping into his arms. A student named Maya is able to pay back her student loans the next month, because (unlike Charlotte) she keeps her phone steady when Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin kiss on the stage in front of them, Clarke jumping to straddle his waist, Bellamy cupping her face and kissing her as if has been dying to do it.

 

\--

**Twitter**

**September 14, 2018**

Zoe Monroe @ZoeRoe99: WTFFFF I WAS NOT PREPARED!! MISSION #reunitebellgriff2k16 COMPLETE!

 

\--

**griffin-bells.tumblr.com/new-post**

**September 16, 2018**

Anonymous asked: so bellgriff is back together?

griffin-bells replied: We haven’t heard anything about Bellgriff being together again, no. But it does seem like Bellamy and Clarke are together, as in a couple, as in #Bellarke is finally real. I can’t even talk about it, I’m still trying to find my mind after I lost it on Thursday.

 

Blake_believer asked: did you seeeeeee Clarke’s instagram post? Bellarke is going to kill me. Also, what are your hopes for Bellgriff?

griffin-bells replied: YES I SAW IT. For those of you who didn’t, see @clarkegriffin’s instagram post [link] from last night, all I’m going to say is that hands are being held and you have to see it with your own eyes. As for Bellgriff, honestly, I don’t even know. They are both doing cool stuff in their own careers right now.

 

\--

**Moonshiners’ Music & Moods: The Season 8, Episode 3**

**October 7, 2018**

“Hey there, loyal listeners, you’re tuned once again to our podcast _Moonshiners’ Music & Moods_, I’m your host, Jasper Jordan-”

“And I’m your other host, Monty Greene-”

“-and today we’re really really excited to dive into all the goods about Cat Power, Twenty-One Pilots, and whatever the devil is going on with your heroes and our friends, Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin.”

“What the devil _is_ going on with Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake, Jasper?”

“Well that’s a great question, Monty, and you know who would be a great person to ask about that? Why none other than the one and only Octavia Blake, who just so happens to be sitting right here beside me.”

“Yes listeners,” continues Monty, “you’re in luck. Here with us today is Octavia Blake, the talented and inspirational younger sister of Bellamy Blake. Octavia, thanks for coming.”

“Jasper threatened to withhold the moonshine if I didn’t, so-”

Jasper interjects with, “Mister FCC, if you’re listening, there is no forbidden beverage to which Miss Blake refers. She is, of course, talking about the MMM merch. Thank you and please don’t give us a fine. Sincerely, Jasper Jordan.”

“Yeah, ah, what he said,” Octavia agrees.

“Octavia, can you confirm that your brother and Clarke Griffin are an item?”

“Absolutely. I’m just glad I don’t share an apartment with my brother at this point in time, I’m thinking they’re pretty gross right now. Lots of built up tension, you feel?”

Jasper snorts. Monty asks, “What about the music? Are they getting _that_ back together?”

“That’s actually not something I can say for sure. I think right now they are really just trying to get their sh-uh, their…”

“Heck,” Jasper supplies.

“They are trying to get their heck together. Honestly, my brother has been in love with Clarke for years, and she was never quite as much of a lovesick puppy but she definitely wanted him too. So they are finally working those things out. The music, if it happens, will probably take a while.”

“Yeah, they’ll have to stop sucking face first,” Monty says.

“Thank you Octavia Blake, you are as always the queen of my heart. Now, let us move on to what in the devil Twenty-One Pilots thinks they are doing in the year 2018. Monty, take it away.” …

 

**\--**

**The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon**

**December 31, 2018**

“Clarke, we love your new EP, it really great. You all,” Jimmy addresses the crowd, “have to listen to it. And, Clarke, you released it under the name _Griffin_ , why is that?”

“That was the stage name I picked out when I was seventeen years old, when I realized I was good enough to sing and write music, and to stop listening to everyone who told me I couldn’t.”

“That’s really cool. And it has nothing to do with new beginnings, rising from the ashes, Harry Potter…”

Clarke laughs. “No, it’s just my name, nothing new about it. More importantly, it was my dad’s name. He’s the one who taught me how to be brave. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

“Amazing, really amazing. And you’re continuing on your solo career, so what made you decide not to partner up as Bellgriff again?”

The camera follows Clarke’s gaze as she looks out to Bellamy in the crowd, where he beams at her. “Bellamy is my partner, he brings out the best in me, and I don’t want to try to do any of this without him anymore. But we both have our own careers to live out.”

“And we’re so excited to see it unfold. Thank you for visiting, Clarke. And to everyone watching: Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and we’ll see you in 2019!”

As the show wraps, Bellamy and Clarke leave the set wrapped up in each other.

“Happy anniversary, princess,” Bellamy says. “You’ve officially known me for seven years. Congratulations.”

“Oh, that counts as an anniversary?”

“Sure. This kinda feels like our day, you know?”

The shy half-smile that Clarke gives him never fails to make Bellamy’s heart stop. “Yeah. This is our day. We made it through another year.”

“And I’m not wasting any more of them pretending not to be in love with you,” Bellamy swears. “You ready for that?”

Clarke steps into his space, a challenge in her eyes. “We’re still breathing, aren’t we?”

 

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally inspired by two things: 1. A Neil Young binder last December, especially the Live at Canterbury House recording from 1968, and 2. The 2017 collaboration of indie singer/songwriters Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, album Lotta Sea Lice. I try to make everyone I love listen to both albums.  
> Primarily, I wanted to tell a story through news coverage, especially media forms specific to music and entertainment. The timeline’s revolution around NYE was a secondary idea, inspired by a concert o attended on NYE 2017 while this fic was still an idea tumbling around my head.  
> Most* of the lyrics are based solely on Bellarke quotes from the show, since I’m a bad poet at best and still very far from a lyricist. *The song “Sister” is the only one rooted in a real song, which is called “Friction”: https://romainemusic.bandcamp.com/track/friction
> 
> I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you liked about it, or what made you laugh, or anything!


End file.
